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Dominik Szoboszlai, Liverpool’s Two-in-One Workhorse

Szobo's had a solid season, and I don’t think anyone could realistically argue otherwise, given the team's progress. Rather than developing into the De Bruyne-esque star he initially seemed destined to become, he has settled into more of a workhorse role; an important contributor who at times displays brilliant technique but it can also be frustratingly inconsistent combined with basic lapses of concentration in his general play. The sudden drop-off in his attacking game was surprising, but now with no recognised number nine in some recent Slots selections, his athleticism when driving forward could help boost his numbers in the short term.

If Slot can restore him to the levels he showed when he first arrived, he has the potential to thrive in a more traditional setup and become a true star. At 24 his best years should be ahead of him. I hope we need to use less obscure metrics to see his impact as he develops, and that his body can withstand the heavy and admirable demands he pushes it to every 3 days.
He’s the Dirk Kupt of our midfield. He could be frequently frustrating, but also irreplaceable.
 
Nunez he's played quite a bit, but who hasn't tried to figure out that puzzle for a bit before realizing it's not curious and challenging to unlock, it's just missing a part. Nunez has been added to that list. Chiesa is essentially non aplicable.

Diaz cannot be in the rotation list, he's played a ton, including completely out of position in lieu of not playing him, but he's off next year.

Elliot and Endo are clearly just not rated for his style. Quansah he thinks isn't ready, but does he think he will never be? I think if vvd stays, it'd be Gomez that leaves.

Yeah, Diaz played more minutes than Jota, so can definitely see an argument - but I think when Jota and Gakpo are both fit, Diaz will be on the bench. If the rule is that “first team” consists of 11 players, someone has to miss out.
 
What will happen over a season of jota being fit, we will never know.

I'd love if jota could be in slotter mode for a few games. It would make things a lot more relaxed and fun. He's escaped attention for not being that lethal in front of goal. He often needs a few games to get back into form, which is annoying when he's frequently injured.
 

View: https://x.com/ESPNUK/status/1894447327215272436

Liverpool's clash with City was their fourth game in the space of just 12 days, with Szoboszlai one of only two outfielders (alongside captain Virgil van Dijk) to have played every minute during that run. With that in mind, it's perhaps little wonder he felt tired.

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Szoboszlai's willingness to put in the hard yards was evidenced emphatically at the Etihad on Sunday, where he ran 11.5km -- more than any other player on the pitch. By comparison, Kevin De Bruyne, who has been the heartbeat of City's midfield for nearly a decade, ran just 8.1km, while Nico Gonzalez and Omar Marmoush ran 9.3km and 8.4km respectively.

Considering Liverpool had just 33.9% possession against City -- their lowest in a Premier League victory on record since 2003-04 -- the importance of Szoboszlai's impressive work rate cannot be overstated. Still, though, there is a sense that the midfielder is yet to reach his full potential.

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Szoboszlai is used to his reputation preceding him. When he joined Hungarian top-flight club MTK Budapest in 2015, academy director Zsolt Székely was already well aware of his talent.

"I knew of him before I worked with him because two of his father's friends worked at MTK, and they often told me that I had to watch this kid because he was really good," Székely tells ESPN. "They always said if he was faster, he could have a big future. I first went to watch him at 12 years old and he was amazing."


Szoboszlai was scouted by RB Salzburg at the age of 15, but the club were keen for the midfielder to hone his skills back in his homeland before moving to Austria. He spent a year at MTK, which is widely regarded as Hungary's best football academy.

"He was a great football player," Székely says. "He had very high football intelligence, he had incredible technique. How he kicked the ball, it was something new to us. When he passed the ball, players always passed it back to him. He always wanted to have the ball at his feet.

"He always stood out. I have never seen such a complete player as him. It was always clear he would be successful. His life was football. He was born for football. He didn't have a smartphone; he didn't have Facebook. He just played football all day, with us or with his father. He was crazy about it."


With three months of the season still to play, neither Szoboszlai nor his teammates will allow themselves to celebrate just yet. However, if he does go on to become the first Hungarian to win the Premier League this term, it will mark another remarkable chapter in an increasingly extraordinary career.

"He is a sign for every Hungarian kid that if you work hard enough and you have enough talent you can be successful," Székely says. "I'm not sure if there is a higher step in world football than Liverpool, but I'm sure Dominik could be a key player for anyone in the world."
 
Needs to score more goals and get more assists.
Bingo tonight!

It’s amazing how many of our players have stepped up and had mini purple patches throughout the season to support the insanely consistent Salah.

Diaz, Gakpo, Jones, Jota and now Dom have all done it.

Dom could make further strides and become absofuckinglutely elite though and I really hope he does.
 

View: https://x.com/NeilMellor33/status/1895162983308837247
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What will happen over a season of jota being fit, we will never know.

I'd love if jota could be in slotter mode for a few games. It would make things a lot more relaxed and fun. He's escaped attention for not being that lethal in front of goal. He often needs a few games to get back into form, which is annoying when he's frequently injured.

I don't agree that that's the reason. On the contrary, when Jota's fully firing he's the best pure finisher we have, Salah included. He's escaped attention because his injury record has meant that, even when he does play, it's often been off the bench.
 
I don't agree that that's the reason. On the contrary, when Jota's fully firing he's the best pure finisher we have, Salah included. He's escaped attention because his injury record has meant that, even when he does play, it's often been off the bench.

Jota in his purple patch is our best finisher. He does spend time being off form in terms of finishing. Under klopp a couple seasons ago he was brutally off form after returning from injury and he is now.

Yes, so when sharp, he's the sharpest, but how can we keep saying he's the best finisher when he inevitably is injured, and inevitably takes a while to recover that edge?
 
Fair question but I stand by my earlier post because, IMHO of course, deciding the "best" of any given bunch does mean comparing the best that they're individually capable of. It seems to me that otherwise you're comparing career histories rather than intrinsic skill sets. That's why, if anyone asks me who's the best Liverpool player I've ever seen, I'd say Suarez rather than the King.
 
Surely the best finisher includes the good bad and the ugly?

Jota has amazing moments but he’s too hot and cold.

I don't agree. Fowler used to let chances slip sometimes as well, but every player does. He was still the best pure finisher I've seen in the red shirt and I'd still give Jota that title in the current squad.
 
I don't agree. Fowler used to let chances slip sometimes as well, but every player does. He was still the best pure finisher I've seen in the red shirt and I'd still give Jota that title in the current squad.
Comparing Jota to Fowler is a large stretch.

Fowler was on another planet.

Salah is hands down the best finisher imo and Id rather a big chance feel to him than anyone else.
 
Jota is reliable in these situations more often than not. He has that natural eye for goal.

He’s a better finisher than Salah for me - but Salah creates so much for himself - so much more than Jota.

As for Sboz he’s a power blaster. Who knows where his shot on goal will go. Even when one on one but it’s getting better.
 
Comparing Jota to Fowler is a large stretch.

Fowler was on another planet.

Salah is hands down the best finisher imo and Id rather a big chance feel to him than anyone else.

I've already agreed that Fowler was the best of them all. Saying that Jota's the best finisher we currently have - which I stand by - isn't comparing the one with the other.
 
I've already agreed that Fowler was the best of them all. Saying that Jota's the best finisher we currently have - which I stand by - isn't comparing the one with the other.
You compared Jota missing chances to Fowler when Jota is nothing like him and neither is his finishing.

He’s had a couple of purple patches but that doesn’t put him at no1 for finishing.

Being fully fit and firing as a prerequisite to be able to finish (as Jota has proven he needs to be, highlights if anything he’s not a natural finisher but more a confidence finisher)

He’s got good composure but not the best finisher for me.
 
Saying they both missed chances is not comparing their respective abilities, any more than saying they both have todgers would be.

Jota's injury record isn't at issue - we all know about it and we all regret it - but it has bugger all to do with his ability as a finisher.
 
Saying they both missed chances is not comparing their respective abilities, any more than saying they both have todgers would be.

Jota's injury record isn't at issue - we all know about it and we all regret it - but it has bugger all to do with his ability as a finisher.
Every player misses chances, why mention Fowler but to liken Jota to him.

His injury record is a huge issue as his ability as a finisher is dramatically affected by the recency of an injury and his form since coming back.

Anyway you think he’s the best in the squad, fair enough.
 

per Fichajes, Al Hilal are ready to put forward what has been described as an ‘astronomical figure’ worth €120m (£99.1m, $125.6m) to prise the Hungarian away from Anfield.

Claiming they ‘want a new star’ after Neymar’s recent departure
, the report adds that the offer will leave Szoboszlai’s future ‘hanging in the balance’ and that such an offer will prove too ‘hot’ for Liverpool owners FSG to refuse.

They also state Szoboszlai’s future could take an ‘unexpected turn’ and that the 24-year-old will ‘undoubtedly be one of the names to watch in the coming months’.

Fichajes goes on to claim that their offer to Szoboszlai will even be hard to resist for the player and that the offer could mark a ‘turning point in his career’.

Furthermore, they state that the ‘financial power of Saudi football is starting to make the big European clubs tremble’ and that the transfer market in the Middle East is ‘getting hotter and hotter’.

Such an offer would also see Liverpool offered the potential to make a vast profit of £39m from their original £60m investment into the star.

And while Szoboszlai has taken time to show his very best form on a consistent basis, he has risen to the challenge of Arne Slot’s demands to score and contribute more goals to the side. As it stands, the 51-time capped Hungary playmaker has seven goals and six assists to his name this season from 36 appearances – a goal contribution every 196.8 minutes he’s been on the field this season – and a marked improvement from his output across his debut season at Anfield.
 
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